Valve.



' w. c. BOY.

VALVE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 18.1914.

Patented Aug. 31, 1915.

WILL G. BOY, OF BLUFF CITY, TENNESSEE.

' VALVE.

Specification of LettersP-atent.

Patented Aug. 31, rate.

Application filed March 18, 1914. Serial No. 825,490. i

To aZZ whom c'tmay concern:

Be it known that I, WILL C. BOY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bluff City, in the county of Sullivan and State of Tennessee, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Valves, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawing.

My improvement relates particularly to the valve which controls the flow of water into the air chamber of a hydraulic ram.

The object of the improvement is to produce such a valve with accessories which render it highly sensitive and efiicient and permit economical manufacture and long wear. In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is an upright sectional view of the lower portion of a hydraulic ram air chamber embodying my improvement; Fig. 2. is a view looking'down upon the valve stem and accessory parts, a portion of the upper nut on the valve stem being broken away; Fig. 3 is a section on the line, 3-3, of Fig. 1.

Referring to said drawings, 1 is the lower portion of the side wall of the air chamber of a hydraulic ram. At its lower edge, said Wall has an outward-directed flange, 2. A horizontal base plate, 3, forms the bottom wall of the chamber and bears against the bottom of the flange, 2, and is secured to said flange'by means of bolts, 4. A port, 5, is formed in the base plate, 3, and a pipe, 6, is screw threaded to the base plate to register with the port, 5, for the delivery of water through said port into the air chamber. Above the base plate, 3, is a valve head, 7, extending across the port, 5, and

" having a stem, 8, extending upward.

Three standards, 9, rise from the base plate equidistant from the axis of the port, 5, and equidistant ,from each other. The standards are secured to the base plate by bolts, 10. Each standard has two bolts, 11, extending horizontally through the standard transversely to lines which are radial to the valve stem, one of the bolts on each standard being located above the other.

The valve stem, 8, is screw threaded, and near its base it is surrounded by two nuts, 12. Between said nuts the stem is loosely surrounded by a plate, 13,.having ears, 14, extending outside of the nuts and being located equidistant from each other or on three lines which radiate from the stem axis at equal angles. On the upper portion of the stem, 8, are two similar nuts, 15, and between said nuts is a plate, 16, having three ears, 17, similar to the plate, 13 and ears, 14. Three lower contracting coiled springs, 18,

have one end joined to the ears, '14, of the plate, 13, while the other end extends to and is secured by one of the lower bolts, 11, the spring havinga straightened end, 19, folded upon itself, and lying at opposite sides of the bolt and between the standard and a washer, 20,surrounding the bolt. When the bolt has been loosened, the end, 19, may be moved toward or from the valve stem to vary the tension of the spring. Similar upper springs, 21, have one. end secured to the ears, 17, of the plate, 16, while the other end is similarly providedwith a folded part, 22, which is folded upon itself and lies at opposite sides 01650116 of the upper bolts, 11, between the standard and a washer, 20, on said bolt. When the bolt has been loosened, the part, 22, may be rnoved toward or from the nuts, 15, and the bolt againtightened to change the tension of the spring.

The plates, 13 and 16, are so seated on the stem as to bring one ofthe ears, 14 and 17, into an upright plane cutting the stem axis and oneof the standards, 9; and each spring, 18, extends from one of the said ears, 17, to the nearest standard, 9, and each spring, 21, extends from one of the cars, 17, to the nearest standard, 9. i

The bolts, 11, to which the upper sprin s, 21, are attached are located lower than t e level of the upper plate, 16, so that said springs are inclined and pull downward as well as outward from the axis of the stem, 8. The bolts, 11, towhich the lower springs, 18, are attached are shown a little higher than the level of thegplate, 13,when the valve is seated, so that said springs tend somewhat to lift the stem from its seat on the, base plate. But this tendency is fully overcome by the stronger downward'pull of the more oblique'upper springs, 21. The inclination of the lower springs is needed only to avoid interference between the springs and the, valve head when the latter is tilted on account of a solid body lodging upper nuts, 15. The u er springs, 21, are

tobeso adjusted as to 'pull downward on the -stem, 8, with sufii'eientforoe to promptly seat the valve 7, on the base plate when the pressure the air chamiber approximately equals the pressure below the valve.

The combined notion of all the springs tendsrto hold the valve stem inthe upright position andon the axial line of the port, yet the entire engagementof the valve stem is yielding, the valve being free to move upward and both endsfheing free to move ShlBWl'SB in response to any force which Is :suiiieient to overcome the pull of the springs in the opposite direotion. 'l/Vith'in a limited'range, the valve stem andvalve head are thus mounted to permit universal movement. The purpose ofthis movement is to permit exact seating of the lower face of the valve head the upper 'face of the base plate, *3, m nder ordinary ciieumstances, and to permit the closest approximation to full seating when a foreign -obi-ect, such as a piece of gravel orwood, lodges between the valve head and thedisk, 3. The valve stem then beeoines tilted, its upper end leaning in the direction op msite the obstrurctiomand the portion of :thevalve head opposite the foreign body resting on seat. :To permit such leaning of the I valve stem, there must'bea lateral adaptation or radiustment of the entire stern, such adjustment increasing from the lower end "up- 'I'ftihis lateral adaptation were not permitted "and the valve stem were limited t,o,d iinect'npand down movement, a foreign body rlod'ging between the base plate and the vadvehead would lroid the entire head as tar ifroam'tthe ibasepiate as said toreigm body is high, leaving about twice as 'muoh opening as istlre ease when {one side of the valve head rests on the tor-sign body andwt'he other nests on-the base plate. In such apparatus at "is import-amt to redu'ce the downward flow ofwater'tothe minim-aim when such a foreign body interferes; Usually such body is released when the next pulsation or stroke lifts the valve.

The upper springs and the lower springs constitute universally yielding means engaging the valve stem at two elevations and tending to position the valve stem relative to the seat.- It may also be said that the lower springs constitute universally yielding means applied to the lower portion of the valve stem drawing substantially horizontally and tending to position the lower portion of the valve stem relative to the seat, while the upper springs constitute means tending to retain the upper portion of the valve stem in normal position, but allow lateral movement within a limited range.

I claim as my invention,

In an apparatus of the nature described, a base having a port, a valve for closing said port, a stem rising from said valve, and universally yielding means en, gaging the valve stem at two elevations and tending to position the stem relative to the seat, substantially as described.

2. In an apparatus of the nature described, a base plate having a port, a valve for closing said port, a stem rising from said valve, universally yielding means applied to the lower portion of the valve stem and actingsubstantially horizontally .to position the lower portion of the valve stem relative to the port, and means tending to retain the upper portion of the valve stem in normal position but allowing lateral movement within a limited range, substantially as described.

3. In an apparatus of the nature described. a base plate having a port, a valve head adapted to seat upon said plate above said port, a stem rising from said' head, contracting springs applied to the lower portion Witnesses:

W. l3. LYON, W. BAGHMAN.

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